31.12.2012 Views

Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

Religious Intolerance in the Later Roman Empire - Bad request ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

although <strong>the</strong>y do forbid mixed marriages, appear to be more concerned with marriage<br />

between Christian girls and pagan priests. 257 As such, this letter does not support<br />

L<strong>in</strong>der's claim that Ambrose had <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> specific case of this law; if Ambrose<br />

had been <strong>in</strong>strumental, we would at least have expected <strong>the</strong> law to prohibit marriage<br />

between Christians and all non-Christians, and not just Jews. Ambrose was a<br />

correspondent of Cynegius, but <strong>the</strong>re is no evidence that Ambrose was able to exert<br />

any <strong>in</strong>fluence over Cynegius and <strong>in</strong>deed <strong>the</strong>re is only one letter from <strong>the</strong> Bishop to <strong>the</strong><br />

Prefect and that concerns Cynegius’ niece. 258<br />

A more likely explanation for this law however is suggested by <strong>the</strong> relationship<br />

between Christians and Jews <strong>in</strong> Antioch. Wilken has suggested that <strong>the</strong> Jews had<br />

considerable advantages over <strong>the</strong> Christians (at least <strong>in</strong> Antioch) dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> latter part<br />

of <strong>the</strong> fourth century, due especially to <strong>the</strong> popular cult of <strong>the</strong> (Jewish) Maccabean<br />

martyrs whose relics were appropriated by <strong>the</strong> Christians. 259 This sense of unease is<br />

reflected by <strong>the</strong> strong language used by John Chrysostom <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> eight homilies he<br />

delivered aga<strong>in</strong>st Judaizers <strong>in</strong> 387. Cynegius was tour<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> east for a second time <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> year up to his death <strong>in</strong> March 388 and <strong>the</strong>refore even if he did not hear<br />

Chrysostom, it seems certa<strong>in</strong> that he would have been aware of <strong>the</strong> contemporary<br />

concern that Judaism was simply too close to Christianity for comfort. 260<br />

However, despite <strong>the</strong> harshness and <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong> great disapproval with which<br />

mixed marriages were viewed by Church and state, <strong>the</strong> law does not <strong>in</strong>dicate whe<strong>the</strong>r<br />

<strong>the</strong> punishment should be restricted to only one religious group and <strong>the</strong>refore it<br />

should be presumed that when it came to pay<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>the</strong> crime, Jews and Christians<br />

were to be treated equally. Moreover, a prohibition on mixed marriage may well have<br />

257 Canons 15-17<br />

258 Ambr. Ep. 19 (Beyenka Ep. 35) PL 16.982-994; Ambrose certa<strong>in</strong>ly appears to have had no time for<br />

<strong>the</strong> Jews or Judaism, but his <strong>in</strong>fluence over Theodosius and his court has recently been shown to be<br />

desperately lack<strong>in</strong>g, if not virtually non-existent, by McLynn (1994) 298-309<br />

259 Wilken (1983) 88-94, 88-90 on <strong>the</strong> cult of <strong>the</strong> Maccabean Martyrs.<br />

260 Joh. Chrys. Hom iliae adv ersus Iudaeos 1-8 PG 48; Hark<strong>in</strong>s (1979); see also Parkes (1934) 163-166<br />

253

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!